The mission of the RVOEP is to operate the Pinecrest Drive (location of RVOEP) site as an outdoor education center for teachers, students, and other members of the community. Programs emphasize land stewardship; outdoor ethics; education and recreation; problem solving and critical thinking; awareness of and responsibility for nature's ecosystems; research on changing habitat conditions, and other applications. The RVOEP is visualized as a legacy to be passed from present generations to future generations, a generational chain. The RVOEP goals are:
- to preserve a parcel of undeveloped land to serve as a classroom where teachers and students of all ages expand their knowledge of and appreciation for the intricate interactions of all aspects of the unique ecosystems present;
- to provide a place for people to experience the benefits of good stewardship of the land through interactive experiences with nature and with each other;
- to provide educational experiences for individuals, allowing them to reexamine their relationships with themselves, others, and with nature;
- to create an educational facility that focuses on all aspects of nature, wildlife and land use and is available for appropriate research projects.
The Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project was started by a group of community members in 1995 when they approached the Ukiah Unified School District about using a 45 acre parcel of undeveloped second growth oak and madrone woodland owned by the district as an outdoor school. The Ukiah Unified School District granted the group five years use of the site with the stipulations that no cost be incurred to the general fund of the district and that no permanent structures be erected on the site. An extension of use was granted in November 1999 to run through June 30, 2003. An additional use extension will be requested in August 2002. The The Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project therefore is self-supporting financially through grants and donations.
The site was prepared with a grant from the Environmental Education Unit of the California State Department of Education and the first students came to the site in the spring of 1997 on one-day field trips. Since that time approximately 8,000 students have visited the site on one-day field trips.
In 2001 the The Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project received an anonymous grant of $50,000 for five years to fund a credentialed teacher on site. Helen Menasian is the Educational Coordinator who is a classroom teacher and holds a Master's Degree in Outdoor Education. Assisting her is Instructional Aide Amy Aikman Brower who holds a Bachelor's Degree in Outdoor Education. They welcome students to the site Tuesday-Friday during the school year; during inclement weather they visit classrooms with the educational program. The educational program has been developed using "A Child's Place in the Environment" and "Sunship Earth" as guides.
The The Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project has been able to fund the cost of buses to transport Ukiah Unified students to the site. Providing bus funding greatly increases the number of students able to visit the site.
In the spring of 2002 a covered gazebo was erected on the site allowing students to visit in marginal weather, and giving relief from the hot sun in the late spring and early fall.
Educational Coordinator: Helen Menasian, credentialed teacher. Experience teaching 5th and 6th grades at Oak Manor School in Ukiah. Master's Degree in Outdoor Education from the University of Oregon.
Instructional Assistant: Melissa Wolf (Poppy) Melissa has special training in native plants and their uses and a background of working with children in the out doors.
Cathy MonroeChairperson and Teacher at Oak Manor School
Duane WellsRetired County Assessor/ Forester
Bill SmithRetired Forester
Chuck VaughnHopland Field Station, University of California
Wendy PollitzAccountant
Dennis SlotaMendocino County Water Agency
Steve and Jean LincolnBiologist and Retired Teacher
Adam SteinbuckMendocino Redwood Company
Chuck WilliamsNative Plant Society
Gordon StearnsTeacher Redwood Valley Elementary School
Judy CorcoranMembership Chair
Helen MenasianTeacher and RVOEP Educational Coordinator
Bryan BarrettAssistant Superintendent, Ukiah Unified School District
Kathy TobinManager/owner, Redwood Health Club
RVOEP is grateful for the support of our members, sponsors, and the many individuals and businesses in our community who have donated time, materials, and services.
Oaks & Special Members
Adrienne Simpson, Clark Construction, Roger Foote, Mathew and Stephanie Duncan, Neil Davis, Evelyn Broadus, Daniel Pollesel, Joe and Diane Mayfield, Lynda & Don Coursey, Tom and Jaunita Coddington, Bruce & Connie Filben, Gary Brawley, Rudolph & Linda Light, Clifford Tichenor, Duane Wells, Ukiah Lions Club, Jim Williams, Phyllis Curtis, Katherine Gibbs Gengoux, Bill and Laura Christensen, Acme Rigging, Christensen Construction, Dunlap Roofing, Heartwood Music, Frey Vineyards, Kiwanis Club
RVOEP Advisory Board Members
Cathy Monroe, Adam Steinbuck, Bill Smith, Jean and Steve Lincoln, Duane Wells, Chuck Williams, Chuck Vaughn, Dennis Slota, Judy Corcoran, Helen Menasian, Wendy Pollitz, Gordon Stearns, Bryan Barrett, UUSD
Recent Donors of Time, Materials, and Services
Duane Wells, Bill Smith, Kathy Tobin, Parlin Forks Conservation Camp, Chuck Williams - Calif. Native Plant Society, Valerie Brownrigg - Wild Iris Designs, Cathy Monroe, Allison De Grassi, Jim Xerogeanes, Mark Alpert, Pacific Internet, Peregrine Chapter - Audubon Society, Chuck Vaughn, Bob Keiffer - Hopland Research and Extension Service, U.C., Marisela De SantaAnna, Dennis Slota, Ed Lukas, Mike and Halle Brady, Roger Foote, George Chaniot
Currant Grantors
Mendocino County Fish and Game Commission, Ukiah Natural Foods, Redwood Region Logging Conference, Ukiah Educational Foundation, Community Foundation of Mendocino County, Anonymous Donor, Jennifer Harris, Mendocino Forest Products, Mabel Albertson Trust, Oak Manor PTO, Yokayo PTA, Nokomis PTO, Peregrine Audubon Chapter© Copyright Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Program
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